Atletico Madrid manager Diego Simeone believes that the addition of Luis Suarez in the summer has considerably strengthened Barcelona.
Suarez arrived from Liverpool on the back of a remarkable season with the Premier League outfit in which he scored 31 goals and assisted a further 21, which propelled the Reds to within two points of the league title which was eventually won by Manchester City.
The Uruguayan has settled quickly into his new team and has already notched up two goals to go with seven assists in his 11 league appearances this season so far.
Suarez was at his creative best earlier this week when he assisted Neymar’s first goal that helped Barcelona win 3-2 against Simeone’s side in the second leg of their Spanish Cup quarter-final tie.
It was the Catalan giants’ third win of the season over Atletico Madrid, having defeated the defending Spanish champions 3-1 in the league and 1-0 in the first leg of their Spanish Cup quarter-final.
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Barcelona’s performances against Simeone’s side have been a far cry from their displays last season when they failed to get the better of last year’s Champions League finalists in any of their six encounters.
Simeone has attributed Barcelona's change in fortunes to their intense style of play due to the addition of Suarez and their new goalkeepers Marc-Andre ter Stegen and Claudio Bravo.
"Barcelona have a much more intense style of play now”, the Argentine was quoted as saying by Marca.
“The arrival of Luis Suarez has made their squad stronger and the new goalkeepers have given them more confidence.
“That has made the team grow.”
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